On May 21, the Central Electoral Commission registered the first six electoral competitors in the early parliamentary elections of July 11, 2021, for which the electoral campaign began. Given the fact that this was the start of the electoral agitation in the early parliamentary election, the People’s Advocate for the Child’s Rights, Maia Bănărescu[1], urges the officially registered participants in the electoral competition and those who will enter the competition for the parliamentary election to conduct a fair and democratic campaign.
Previous polls have shown that human rights have often been violated in the election competition, brutally ignoring the rules of the game, for obtaining voter votes at any cost, by manipulating, harassing opponents, distributing fakes, promoting xenophobic, racist and homophobic messages, with discriminatory and hate speech.
The People’s Advocate calls on the electoral contestants to adopt a civilized behavior, based on respect for human rights and human dignity, towards opponents and the electorate. Aggressive election campaigns can only arouse disappointment among voters and discourage them from participating in the democratic electoral process. Aggression and psychological violence in electoral campaigns can only have negative effects, implicitly they can affect the fundamental right to exercise electoral rights.
The People’s Advocate encourages the parties participating in the parliamentary competition to sign a code of conduct regarding the conduct and reflection of the electoral campaign, which will continue to be respected by them.
Maia Bănărescu calls for responsibility and fairness, recalling that rhetoric based on exclusion and division has nothing in common with democratic values and observance for fundamental human rights and freedoms. The division of society into “ours” and “yours” or “others” / “foreigners” creates the image of the enemy, exploits stereotypes and prejudices, appealing to the most primitive sides of the human being. The Child Ombudsman also warns against not allowing the use of the image of minors for electoral purposes.
The People’s Advocate appeals to those responsible for the electoral process to carefully monitor the progress of the electoral campaign and to sanction any deviations from the electoral legislation admitted by the electoral competitors, in accordance with the legal norms regarding the elections.
Maia Bănărescu also draws attention to the importance of ensuring the necessary conditions for the realization of the electoral right by Moldovan citizens abroad, as well as by those domiciled in the districts on the left bank of the Dniester. It is also necessary to take the necessary actions to guarantee the security of the voting process in the localities located in the Security Zone and for its free monitoring by national and international observers.
The People’s Advocate reiterates his recommendations regarding the provision of adequate conditions / reasonable adaptation for the realization of the right to vote by persons with different types of disabilities (sensory, locomotor, psychosocial, etc.), of those in residential institutions.
Maia Bănărescu encourages the representatives of the civil society to follow closely the evolution of the events in the electoral campaign and to sign the detected irregularities, in order to discourage and penalize them.
Appreciating as very important the role of the media in the electoral campaign, the People’s Advocate calls the representatives of the press to be fair and impartial, to respect the legal norms, of the professional deontology and of the pluralism of opinion. Journalists are urged to behave decenty, not to be politically partisan in favor of electoral competitors and not to distribute messages with hate speech and discrimination.
The People’s Advocate recalls that the organization of democratic elections is impossible without observance of human rights, in particular freedom of expression, assembly and association for political purposes. In fact, the credibility of the electoral process must be guaranteed, first and foremost, by respecting fundamental human rights and the rule of law. That is why it is the duty of all actors involved in the electoral process to ensure that it takes place within the law and in compliance with national and international rigors in the field of elections.
The People’s Advocate announces that the Ombudsman Institution will monitor the election campaign and the conduct of the parliamentary elections, and the general findings will be found in his report on respect for fundamental human rights and freedoms in 2021.
24 05 2021
Human Rights Promotion and
Communication Department
Tel: 060002656
[1] Based on art. 3 of the Parliament Decision no. 4 of February 4, 2021 on ceasing to hold the mandate of the People’s Advocate (Ombudsman) until the appointment by the Parliament of a new People’s Advocate (Ombudsman), Mrs. Maia Bănărescu, People’s Advocate for Child’s Rights, will fulfill the duties of People’s Advocate (Ombudsman).
